Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Reeds Taylor on January 28, 2014 at 7:03am

There's many boxes you could use, such as a wood wine box or a silverware chest...or you could just build exactly what you want...no shame in that...especially if you can't get cigar boxes....seems sometimes a cigar box just doesn't seem to be the right size when your ready to build something new. I have built boxes from different woods, for different style builds...and have been quite happy with their out come.

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Permalink Reply by Jantan ux on January 28, 2014 at 7:39am

Simpel good plywood cigraboxes are not expensive.  Many other type wood boxes are.

Many good sounding tin boxes are full of cookies, tee or expensive candy.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on January 28, 2014 at 8:20am

I've used cookie and candy tins with and without wood tops. Cedar jewelry boxes are pretty common in thrift stores and make fine instruments. I've used wooden salad bowls for a variety of instruments as well. Check out RTZ's page. He's used hollow logs and branches. Or, like Reeds says, making  a box is pretty simple. A friend gave me a bunch of cardboard cigar boxes and now I'm trying to figure out a good way to re-inforce and stabilize them. Let your imagination roll!

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Permalink Reply by Yankee Dog on January 29, 2014 at 1:23am

I have made a couple from cardboard boxes. They have a really nice down low growley sort of sound. I reinforced them with a cross piece off the neck on either ends. More is not needed. And more will tend to dampen the sound.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Michael Fred Johnson on January 28, 2014 at 8:49am

These are home made ply boxes with good results,ones built with solid woods are even better

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Permalink Reply by Peter J Thorne on January 28, 2014 at 9:30am

I know exactly what your dealing with. I also find it difficult to obtain suitable cigar boxes for guitars. Where I live you pretty much have to buy them on line, and after all said and done, with shipping costs, etc. it gets exspensive. So I build my own. The nice thing about that, I can design and build them to any shape or size I want. Theres different ways of making boxes of course.I like to find material thats around 1/4" thick for the sides, and for the top and back I simply use 1/8" door skin material. Theres  lots of information on this websight explaining how to make resonator boxes. Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by Barsymes Cratchnee on January 28, 2014 at 1:07pm

3/16" Lauan ply from Lowes. Used it for a sound board. Great stuff. Could use it for top/bottom. Go 1/4" what ever your pleasure for sides. Solid wood if you're doing box joints.

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Permalink Reply by Groucho on January 28, 2014 at 5:27pm

I want to eventually make a birdhouse guitar.  They sell unfinished birdhouses at stores like Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc. for about $6 to $7.  They come with a sound hole already cut into them.

I've got a 6" x 10" candy tin I want to use sometime as well.  I've seen some gas can and lunch box guitars that were pretty cool too. 

Just be on the look out for different things that look like they could be a good resonator.  It doesn't always need to be a box.

 

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Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on January 28, 2014 at 6:28pm

The use to cookie/cake/candy tins as sound boxes is pretty common, so it you are looking to build one, you can search CBN for discussions relating to "cookie tin" "cake tin" "candy tin". I suspect there are a number of such build discussed in the Can Jo Consortium discussion group, with a bunch more scattered throughout the site.

If you are interested in building your own wood boxes, check out the Home Made Resonator Boxes 101, v.2.0 discussion group. I like to build using what I call "paddle box dulcimers" which IMHO is easier than building a box guitar. Here is a link to one of those paddle box builds (it's a bit dated). I have built a bunch of these instruments since then and my building design has changed, but too much to say here about it, so I'll just append three drawings to this post which describe my current design... If you like the design, I'd be happy to discuss it in more detail.

Attachments:

• Drawing 1B.JPG, 623 KB
• Drawing 2B.JPG, 433 KB
• Drawing 3B.bmp, 5.6 MB

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Permalink Reply by Mr.melo on January 29, 2014 at 7:57am

here it is

 ..try 4 small holes in each  corners of your box...then put tiny grommets over it..if you check out my build pics there is a cigarbox guitar with that excact look..sounds like a runaways train coming unplugged..lol hope I helped you:)

Mr.Melo

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